Early
intervention can be a “lifesaver” for parents of children with developmental
delays
When Lauren
Jablonski and her husband, Daniel, brought their son, Carson, home for the
first time, he was 9.5 months old and had spent his entire life in hospital
neonatal intensive care units.
Every moment
since the Jablonski’s first got the call that a birth mother had chosen them as
the adoptive family for Carson had been a journey toward getting the young
boy—who was born with severe birth defects in his heart and internal
organs—healthy enough to come home.
As the
Jablonskis adjusted to life with a medically fragile infant at home, and Carson
worked to heal from multiple surgeries, the family’s caseworker connected them
with early intervention services from the Parent Education—Infant Development
(PE-ID) program, a part of the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board.
PE-ID
provides early intervention services for children from birth to 36 months. The
team of speech language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational
therapists, early childhood education specialists and service coordinators
works directly with parents and children in their homes to minimize
developmental delays (and work with atypical development) during the first
three years of life. The program serves families in Stafford, Spotsylvania,
Caroline and King George counties, and the city of Fredericksburg.
For the
Jablonskis, the visits for speech and physical therapy made a world of
difference for Carson, who was not sitting up, playing with toys, rolling over
or engaging in typical activities for a 9-month-old when he first came home
from the hospital.
“Soon after
being home, the therapists got him sitting up,” Lauren Jablonski recalls. They
progressed to work on crawling, helped get the family special equipment to
support Carson’s legs and help him learn to stand, and helped Lauren and Daniel
understand how all the steps of infant behavior—playing with toys, putting
objects in the mouth—are important pieces in a chronological process of
skill-building.
“Carson has
progressed and is now standing and pulling up by himself, and is just on the
verge of walking after a year in early intervention,” Lauren said in March.
“There is no way he would be progressing as well as he is without that
therapy.”
Serving childrens’
unique needs
While
Jablonski is grateful that her caseworkers connected her with PE-ID, she urges
any parent who worries that their young child may not be following a typical
developmental path to consult with their pediatrician. Because the earlier
intervention starts, the more progress children can make in overcoming
developmental delays.
And since the
first three years of life are a time of exponential brain growth, seizing the
opportunity is important.
That is
exactly why Blake Duhon reached out to PE-ID when he sensed that his son,
Bryson, was not meeting certain developmental milestones at 12 months of age.
“There were
just certain things he struggled with. He was afraid of walking, he was
completely scared of seeing brand-new faces,” said Duhon. “I thought, ‘Let me
see if I can reach out to anybody who can help.’”
His mother,
who works at Bryson’s daycare, had seen early intervention providers coming in
to help other children, and suggested he reach out to PE-ID.
After about a
year of receiving home visits for early intervention therapy, Blake says,
“Bryson is such a different person. He is way more confident, and he is just
doing amazing things.”
Helping
parents be the teachers
Part of the
magic of early intervention lies in the providers’ efforts not only to serve
the child, but also to teach parents simple strategies that can be incorporated
in a normal day to help their children progress in specific developmental
skills.
“Each and
every visit that they came, I have always learned something new, and everything
I get from them I do on my own time,” Duhon said. “It benefitted both of us—not
just Bryson.”
Both Duhon
and Jablonski said the fact that PE-ID providers come to the home helps ensure
therapeutic sessions can fit into a busy family schedule, and eliminates any
barrier that having to drive to an appointment might present.
Lauren
Jablonski has appreciated being able to ask her providers questions about
specific behaviors she sees in Carson, and to share videos of things he is
doing at home and get strategies for how to help him.
“They have
been a lifesaver,” she said. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to get
them that early help. In the long run it is going to do wonders for the child.”
As Carson
turns 2 this month, Jablonski knows she has another year left to work with
early intervention, but, “I have already told them, I’m going to be sad to have
to say goodbye.”
While early
intervention services end at 36 months of age, PE-ID’s coordinators work
closely with families throughout their journey to help connect parents with the
appropriate next step for their children.
As Duhon’s
son, Bryson, approaches his third birthday, he said PE-ID has set him up with
referrals to Head Start and screening programs that may help his son moving
forward. But he’ll never forget the connection that the early intervention
providers helped him forge with his son.
“He’s just a
totally different kid, from where he was and where he is now,” he said.
“Everybody’s help and support has made that happen.”
We’re here
to help.
If you are
worried that your child is not meeting developmental milestones (a good source
for these is the CDC’s “Milestone Tracker” app), please call us at 540-372-3561.
Visit Rappahannockareacsb.org to learn more.
